The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for continuously manufacturing components, in particular aircraft structural components, from fiber-reinforced composites. Furthermore, the invention relates to a mold set, which is suitable for use in an apparatus for continuously manufacturing components, in particular aircraft structural components, from fiber-reinforced composites.
In aircraft construction, efforts are being made to use components that consist entirely or partially of fiber-reinforced composites, for example carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), increasingly as load-bearing components. For example, DE 10 2007 062 111 A1 describes a cross member structure consisting of carbon fiber reinforced plastic that is used to support the individual panels of an aircraft floor system for separating a passenger cabin from a cargo hold arranged below the passenger cabin. Furthermore, it is known from DE 10 2004 001 078 A1 and CN 100418850, for example, to provide aircraft fuselage segments with a skin and reinforcing elements (e.g., ribs, stringers) of fiber-reinforced composites.
In the manufacture of aircraft structural components from fiber-reinforced composites, a multilayer laminate may first be built up from fiber prepregs. The fiber prepregs may comprise a woven fabric or mat of reinforcing fibers, which are provided with a surface layer of a curable synthetic material. The laminate construction may be carried out manually or automatically. Then the fiber prepregs may be put into a desired shape of a two-dimensional section forming an aircraft outer skin or of a reinforcing section forming a frame or stringer. Finally, the synthetic material applied to the surfaces of the fibers is cured in an autoclave cycle under pressure and/or at increased temperature, so that a composite is created with a matrix of a cured synthetic material and reinforcing fibers embedded into the matrix. An autoclave process is particularly suitable for the individual manufacture of even components of complex formation.
In contrast to this, EP 1 819 503 B1 describes a method for continuously manufacturing structural profiles suitable for use as aircraft structural components. In this method, a multilayer fiber layer structure is first produced. To do this, dry fiber layers are unwound from appropriate reels and supplied to a preforming tool, which puts the fiber layers into a desired preform under pressure. The preformed fiber layer stack produced in the preforming tool is impregnated with a mixture of an epoxy resin and a curing agent, which is caused to partially react by the supply of heat, causing an increase in the viscosity of the resin. Then the resin-impregnated fiber layer stack is heated further in a cycle press and pressurized, so that the resin gels and crosslinking proceeds up to dimensional stability. Finally, complete curing of the resin takes place in a tunnel kiln.
During the process as a whole, the fiber layers, fiber layer stack and resin-impregnated fiber layer stack are conveyed by pertinent extraction devices continuously to and through the individual stations in the process. The cycle press is supported movably so that it can be moved over a certain distance together with the resin-impregnated fiber layer stack to be pressed. As soon as the treatment of one section of the resin-impregnated fiber layer stack in the cycle press is completed, the cycle press is opened and moved opposite to the direction of movement of the resin-impregnated fiber layer stack until it has reached a corresponding position in which the cycle press can be closed again to treat a further section of the resin-impregnated fiber layer stack. The continuous process described in EP 1 819 503 B1 is suitable for the manufacture of structural profiles with a constant cross section in large numbers.